Higley, who had previously served in an interim capacity since the start of the 2011-12 athletics season, became the school's first full-time compliance coordinator and oversees all aspects of FSU's NCAA and conference compliance and reporting program while working closely with each of the Bulldogs' 15 varsity teams. She officially began her duties in the new role on Dec. 20, 2012.

A local native, Higley graduated from Morley-Stanwood High School and earned a bachelor's degree in sports management and communications from the University of Michigan in 2005. She's currently taking classes towards a master's degree in business administration at Ferris State.

As an undergraduate student, Higley served as a sports marketing intern at Michigan for two years and also spent time working with the Leisure Intelligence Group, a sports management consulting firm, from 2005 to 2007.

She served as a freelance writer from 2008 to 2010 before initially joining the FSU Athletics program as a part-time compliance assistant in 2011.

In her role as the department's compliance coordinator and senior women's administrator, Higley serves on the school's administrative team and assists in various other capacities such as sports oversight, budgeting and more.